The Game

We’ve moved into June, and I need a poetry style that starts with the letter F. I’ve decided to write Free verse Poems. Writing Free Verse Poems for an entire month frightens me because they lack meter, rhythm, and form. Sometimes a person needs these guidelines to keep them honest. What makes a poem a poem if there is no way to define it as a poem? The only way to start the party is to run my finger over the keys and see what pops up on the computer screen. I will call this poem The Game.

First, let’s explore the characteristics of Free Verse Poetry and The Game

1. Candace and flow
2. The built on the language of the poet
3. Non-uniform lines and stanzas
4. Experience with space
5. Prosaic Qualities
6. Concise Imagery

It appears free verse isn’t as rudderless as I first thought. My poetry writing challenge in June could get exciting. It’s time to read The Game.

The Game
Tic-tack-toe
Go with the flow.
I picked X, you blocked me with a zero.
Time to start another game
Same players, not even a change of name
The outcome will always be the same.
Does anybody even really win?
In this match, we’re about to play again
I thought I saw your face break into a grin.
No matter the outcome of the X’s and O’s
The outcome is staged, we all know.
The facts are tainted in this game of tic-tac-toe.
Be careful not to blink or look away,
There is sleight of hand in the game we play.
The tables will tilt and bounce and sway.
Statistics and probabilities don’t matter here,
The odds of losing big are great, I fear.
There is no chance of making yourself clear.
Tic-tack-toe
Go with the flow.
I picked X, you blocked me with a zero.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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